


The moment we didn't see

by tsmagnumm



Category: The Good Doctor (TV 2017)
Genre: CUTE TOGETHER, Emotional Support, F/M, Melendaire, alternative ending, just our quintessential melendaire, lots of pov, what we didn't see
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-16
Updated: 2020-01-16
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:13:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22279204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tsmagnumm/pseuds/tsmagnumm
Summary: What happened after that heartfelt moment between Claire and Neil by the end of "Fractured"?
Relationships: Claire Browne/Neil Melendez
Comments: 8
Kudos: 68





	The moment we didn't see

Not one of the best days for Claire Browne and honestly, she didn't want to be on her shoes right now. Melendez tried to avoid the questioning the cops wanted to do with Claire, mostly because of the way she connected with Luca. _Or the way she thought she had connected._

Some rookie cop tried to imply that Claire had… helped Luca's escape. Melendez and Park stood up for her, there was no place for that especially when she was not there to defend herself.

It doesn't take too long for Claire to reach SJSB again, walking those halls she felt anxious, she knew that that was a security breach and the police was at the hospital. She had to hurry. Somehow deep inside she knew exactly what was going on.

* * *

After being questioned by the cops, she starts leaving the glass wall-ed room. She sees Neil sitting alone, probably waiting to give his own statement. She didn't want to presume that he was there waiting for her.

The moment he sees her walking down the hall, he stands up and go to meet her.

"How was it?" Neil seems worried and a piece of Claire feels bad because of it, that she was the reason he was so worried.

Claire's breath is heavy and he's almost certain that she could breakdown at any second from now. She seemed exhausted.

"I don't know" she exhales and rubs her head for a moment, she could feel the warmth of his left hand coming to meet her shoulders mirroring their moment at the stairwell just a few days ago. "I just hope they don't sue me on helping Luca's escaping."

"I wouldn't let that happen, I _know_ you didn't do anything." Neil squeezes her shoulders just a little bit and then puts his hand down to the side of his body again. "Besides, they're about to get the security footage and end of the story."

He tries to smile, not curving too much his mouth up, more like a way to try and make her feel better. It didn't work out as expected.

Claire looks in his eyes for a moment, he can recognize how disappointed she is right now. He knows she doesn't deserve to feel that way.

She shakes her head to him and starts to leave, saying nothing more than an almost inaudible 'bye'.

"Wanna a ride?" He offers out of the blue, he never offered that kind of thing to a resident before and that felt strange, the way it leaves his mouth is simple and just for her to hear. As if there was anyone else around the hall.

" _What_?" She wants reassurance that that was what she heard. Also she wants time to process the offer and decide for an answer.

"I could drop you off at the gym." Neil knows she lives nearby, he lives just a few blocks away from her.

"I think I would appreciate that." Claire doesn't know exactly what she's doing accepting this, she just felt like she shouldn't be alone right now and Neil was not a bad company either. Although she wouldn't admit that out loud, she liked being around him.

"Meet you in 10."

* * *

"...And I'm still grateful that I work with you." That was the truth, Neil noticed the way she looked at him, the disappointment and sadness quickly replaced by surprise and soon enough, there was a hint of a smile brewing on her lips. He smiled too.

"Thank you." Claire wished that she could thank him for everything he did, she wanted to say too much but she didn't have the exact words to do it. So she thanks him with a smile, hoping he would read through her once more.

They both face the parking lot under them, it was located at the back of the hospital. Claire knew Melendez would usually park there and not in the one at the main entrance of SJSB. It was dark enough so the alert lights of two ambulances parked there were the only source of lightning.

They stay there for some time, maybe minutes feeling the slightly cold wind brushing their cheeks. Sometimes Neil would look at her, his stare would burn her cheeks through the cold and maybe because of that, she wouldn't stare back at him

He didn't want to rush her, he wanted to be there for her and honestly, just standing here side by side with her was more than enough to make him feel comfortable in a way he hadn't felt in a very long time.

Claire's anxiousness was replaced by some sort of calmness, her thoughts would eventually go to decades before and remember the terrible situations her mother put her through, her mind would also navigate to a couple of months ago when her mother was trying to improve. She immediately shakes the guilt feeling building up on her soul.

"I think we should go." She says as soon as she notices the rain drops on her skin. _Ok, San Jose. That's a new._

"Sure." 

Anyone looking from a distance would think Claire and Neil are walking hand in hand, their coats made a barrier and sometimes her shoulder would brush his right arm. Fast enough for any of them to notice, yet they did.

It doesn't take much before they reach Neil's car and Claire laughs silently under her breath, trying to avoid the rain and making a parallel of his personality to his taste, especially when it comes to cars and food. _Tons of classy and a hint of pretentiousness._

He opens the door and she gets in, having some time alone to take a long breath before having him sitting on the driver's seat. _It smells new and refreshing._ Some of the things she noticed suits both him and the car.

The engine makes a quiet sound as they start leaving the hospitals facility, the rain quickly getting heavier.

The trip is filled with a pleasant silence between them. Deep inside Claire knew she missed having someone taking care of her, she felt like she could rely on him but that was not new. Has been like that for quite long. She remembers her first months as a resident and the way he helped with her drinking problem, even though she never told Neil what he did for her.

The street lights moving in sync, Claire doesn't focus on one specific thing. Her bag carefully being held against the top of her legs.

Neil stops at the other side of the street and although the gym is open 24/7, it hosts just a few people this hours and the lights aren't exactly on, just the necessary.

"We're here." He turns the car off. Facing her and the now heavy rain falling outside in the street.

He didn't expect her to leave and face the rain, honestly he didn't knew what she was thinking or when she decided to thank him, wave for a quick good-bye and get out of the car.

Without thinking twice, Neil gets an umbrella in a compartment of his car and slam the door, running after her, reaching her seconds later when she notices his presence. How could she not.

"Let me walk you home, this rain doesn't seem to be getting any lighter."

"You don't have to." Claire wasn't being rude, but the words added to the fact that she did not face him made her feel bad after she said it.

Claire turns around to stare at his eyes, barely a moment of silent, their bodies close to the point that he could feel her warm breath touching his neck every now and again. 

He holds the umbrella above their heads "I know."

_Lucky her that Melendez knows her good enough to understand what she meant._

And this statement itself probably shows us how their relationship had grown is the past few years they've known each other.

They don't _have_ to be there to support each other but they _want_ to. More than that, they maybe felt the urgent need to do so. Claire and Neil had a thousand speeches that they almost said to the other and walking towards her place together, sharing an umbrella felt like the right thing to do, they didn’t need to say anything else.

**Author's Note:**

> I would absolutely love to hear your thought about this! Hope you are having a nice day!


End file.
